Palm Sunday in Lent, April 10
Reader: “The stone that the builders rejected”
Response: “has now become the cornerstone.”
Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Let all Israel repeat: “His faithful love endures forever.”
Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
and I will go in and thank the Lord.
These gates lead to the presence of the Lord,
and the godly enter there.
I thank you for answering my prayer
and giving me victory!
The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Some thoughts:
Psalm 118 is the last of the Hallel psalms (113-118) and is recited after the Passover meal. This is also one of the psalms which has both present and future meanings. God has delivered the psalmist from death for which he rejoices and gives thanks to God. In this psalm we have these well-known sentences, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see.” These sentences are quoted by Jesus himself after telling the parable of the evil tenant farmers. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this account. Peter also quotes these words in his Pentecost sermon and again in his first epistle.
We’ve all heard “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” To what day does the “this” refer? We may think, “God has given us another day. We’ll rejoice and enjoy the day for all it brings.” Actually I think the “this” goes much deeper. The “this” refers to the previous “this is the Lord’s doing.” What is the Lord’s doing? The rejected one, the Messiah, is the cornerstone of building a whole new people. The day of the Lord’s victory has already come. But we await its consummation in the meantime. This great day is here and is yet to come to its fullness.
We then have the words so familiar to Palm Sunday, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The shouting of “Hosanna,” meaning “save us” comes from the previous sentence, “Please Lord, please save us.” The people understood this psalm messianically. There is even the haunting phrase, “Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar” reminding us of Jesus being bound to the cross and part of the crucifixion process. The arms were normally bound to the cross bar as the nails by themselves could not support the weight of an unbound person. The psalm concludes with a word of praise in anticipation of God’s ultimate victory and rescue of a fallen people. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
What strikes me is though the people knew the psalm and grasped a messianic understanding to a degree, that Palm Sunday crowd missed what was happening. Ultimately, many of those doing the cheering became the ones who rejected the cornerstone because of preconceived ideas of what should happen. Such is a powerful word to us. We are often quick to draw conclusions because we operate in an earthly time frame. God doesn’t. His faithful love endures forever. Don’t rush God and don’t tell him how to do things. Draw near to him each day and wait patiently.
Music: “Hosanna in the Highest” CUEA CSA CHOIR GABA ELDORET
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQDSB7DfOnI Do not miss!
Bonus: “Ride on King Jesus” Reginald Smith, Jr. Or this one either!!
“Ride on King Jesus” Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Or this one―choral setting)
Prayer:
Jesus, King of the universe, ride on in humble majesty: Lord, this Palm Sunday may we recognize in you the Lord who comes to his world, and join with full heart in the children’s “hosannas.” Ride on through conflict and debate, ride on, through prayer and betrayal: Lord, this Palm Sunday forgive me my evasions of truth . . .my weakness which leaves me sleeping even while in others you suffer and are anguished; my cowardice that does not risk the consequences of publicly acknowledging you as Lord. Ride on to the empty tomb and your rising in triumph, ride on to raise up your church, a new body for your service. Ride on, King Jesus, to renew the whole earth in your image. In compassion come to help us. ―Author Unknown, from Guideposts Prayers for Easter, p.30-31